


All Kinds of Chaos

by FairyTaleAdventures



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, I apologise, this is unnecessarily long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23703853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairyTaleAdventures/pseuds/FairyTaleAdventures
Summary: Neil and Audrey struggle to find a quiet moment to themselves as work life keeps them busy.
Relationships: Audrey Lim/Neil Melendez
Comments: 4
Kudos: 28





	All Kinds of Chaos

Neil is startled out of his dreamless slumber as he is awakened to the sound of his alarm. Groaning, he reaches over to hit the snooze button before returning his head back to his pillow and shutting his eyes. 

He is exhausted. The past few weeks had been nothing but nonstop work. The hospital’s staff was currently stretched pretty thin and as a result, he had been pulling extra hours to help keep things running smoothly. Unfortunately for him, this seemed to be the one week where being on call meant being repeatedly woken up at one in the morning to respond to an emergency trauma. If it wasn’t for the fact that his mornings typically started with the same routine - checking in on patients and discussing their progress with other medical staff, Neil was certain he wouldn’t know where one day ended and a new one began. 

As his alarm sounds for the second time, he hears the muffled sound of his name coming from Audrey beside him whose face is shoved into her pillow in annoyance. He reaches over once more to turn off the alarm before rolling over to plant a light kiss to his girlfriend's temple to which she responds with an incoherent mumble. Stifling a small laugh, he pulls the covers off him and runs a hand through his hair before proceeding to get ready for another long work day. 

As he emerges from the bathroom, freshly showered, he is careful not to disturb Audrey when he rummages through his drawers looking for a pair of trousers and a matching shirt. He knows she must be just as exhausted as he felt, if not more. By the time she had come home that previous night, he had already fallen asleep, and he knew from the way he woke to her restless behaviour more than once throughout the night, she had not had a peaceful sleep. Though Neil’s hushed behaviour goes unneeded, as he catches Audrey staring at him from her position in their bed, watching meticulously as he finishes buttoning the cuffs to his shirt. 

Meeting her gaze, he offers her a tired smile to which she mirrors. 

“We still on for lunch this afternoon?” She asks. 

“Definitely. My surgery should be complete by noon so I’ll meet you in the cafeteria around one before our joint patient meeting.”

The hospital's cafeteria was definitely not their first choice for a romantic escape, but it would have to do for the time being. Due to their opposite work schedules, it had been over a week since they had found an opportunity to sit down for more than an hour and enjoy each other's company. Many of their interactions happened in passing as one was on their way into the operating room while the other was on their way out. On top of this, they were rarely home at the same time and when they were, one of them was typically asleep. 

They felt fortunate when the both of them were scheduled to scrub in on the same surgery later into the week. It wasn’t a particularly difficult surgery. Dr. Andrews simply needed the extra bodies in the operating room to help with the tedious details while his team performed the main resection, but they were able to work at a leisurely pace while enjoying each other's company. Even so, they had to refrain from sharing any intimate details.

“Do you want me to get the coffee pot started for you on my way out?” Neil asks. 

“No thanks. I’m going to see if I can get a few more hours of sleep before I have to go in this morning. It’s going to be another long day. ” 

“Okay.” He leans in for a kiss and she tilts her head to meet him half way. “I will see you at lunch time then.” 

“Yes you will. I love you.” 

“Love you too.”

oOo

When lunch time approaches, Audrey finds herself alone in the cafeteria. She pulls out her phone hoping to have received a message from Neil, but is left disappointed when she finds her notifications tab empty. Frowning, she pulls up the hospital's online surgical schedule and notices his surgery has been extended due to a complication, confirming what she already suspects. She hoped this wouldn’t happen, she was convinced it wouldn’t, but of course, she knew it was a possibility. It seems to be the only possibility lately. 

Sighing, she gets up from her table and begins to get herself food, adding an extra sandwich and a cup of coffee to her tray for Neil. Choosing to avoid any unnecessary conversations, she takes her lunch to her office where she can at least get a head start on her own paperwork.

It’s not easy, spending so much time apart. Over the course of their relationship, they had overcome many challenges, the biggest challenge being her promotion to Chief of Surgery. It took months of learning how to perform in their new roles with the added power imbalance, but they quickly established a new normal that didn’t hinder their friendship, but instead, intensified their mutual respect for one another. 

After that, it seemed like to matter what obstacles they faced, they would be able to flourish. 

That was until they were faced with the obstacle of being so close to one another, yet feeling miles apart. 

Audrey had spent a significant part of her life on her own, and as a result, grew accustomed to putting her job before anything else. Working kept her sane. Living a life of a surgeon, especially a trauma surgeon, was fast paced and often demanding. There wasn’t a lot of room for relaxation and for the longest time, she was content with that.

That changed however, when she finally conceded to the fact that her relationship with Neil had become serious. She wanted their relationship to succeed, and more importantly, she wanted to spend time with him away from all things work related. It scared her at first, breaking a routine she had once considered her safe haven, but after taking some time to experience the benefits, she found it to be a change she was more than willing to maintain without any feelings of regret. 

Audrey knew Neil was proud of the progress she had made. After all, he had been by her side since she had begun at St. Bonaventure and knew exactly how much she loved to throw herself into her work. She could remember countless times when he had encouraged her to take a lunch break or take the night off to get some sleep. In response, she would typically shrug off his recommendation and then proceed to request he bring her some coffee, to which he would always half-heartedly oblige.

But now she is once again finding herself working more than normal and she feels herself nearing her breaking point.

There is a soft knock on Audrey’s office door. She turns her attention away from her computer to find Neil leaning against the doorframe wearing an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry,” he says. 

She feels herself visibly relax. “There’s no need to apologise.” She means it. More often than not, it’s her who misses a date night or an important event due to her inconsistent schedule. “I brought you some lunch.” She nods towards the leftover food on her desk. “But you should probably take that to go. We have ten minutes to get to our meeting.”

He looks at his watch and sighs, clearly upset, but grabs the food off her desk with an appreciative expression and follows her out the office door. 

“Wait,” he grabs her arm to halt her before they can enter the conference room. “What’s your schedule like tomorrow evening?”

“My strategy session should be finished by six.”

“Perfect. You want to go out for dinner then? I can make a reservation at that little place down by the water you love so much.”

“That sounds fantastic.” She expresses her appreciation with a quick kiss. “Now let’s get in there before we’re late.”

oOo 

By early afternoon the following day, the only thing getting them through their shift is the assurance that they will be spending a romantic evening together filled with intimate conversations, their favourite foods, and the promise they would not have to think about work or anything of the like for more than an hour. 

Neil is particularly looking forward to it after Dr. Resnick calls him to an urgent consultation in the Emergency Room during his break. 

His patient is a young woman, experiencing pain in her abdomen. On the outside, she looks healthy. No visible wounds or discolouration in her face, and despite her pain, she seems joyful and carefree. At her bedside, she is accompanied by her husband who is dressed in shorts and a brightly coloured floral shirt, wearing a party lei around his neck. 

“We’re on our honeymoon,” the woman explains when Dr. Reznick questions his outfit of choice. 

“I wanted to go to Hawaii, she wanted to stay local,” the husband continues. “She’s a lawyer in L.A. and didn’t want to travel too far in case of emergency. So we compromised.” Neil can sense the utmost pride the man has for his wife and he can’t help himself but feel a sense of relation. 

“Understandable,” Neil responds. “My girlfriend is also a surgeon and the last time I suggested we go away on vacation she recommended Sacramento.” The husband lets out a disgruntled sound which earns him a scowl from his wife. Neil simply laughs. “We’ll send you up for some scans so we can figure out what’s causing your pain. Hopefully it’s something simple and we can have you out of here within a day or two so you can enjoy the rest of your honeymoon.”

It turns out that the case is anything but simple. After gathering his patient's history and performing basic palpations on her abdomen, Neil fears the worst and demands she gets a fast tracked medical examination right away. His fears are confirmed when the results come back positive showing a massive tumour and Neil is forced to perform a biopsy which verifies what the scans originally revealed. 

Neil is faced with the hardship of telling his patient that she has months to live and there is nothing he can do to help. Before he can fully explain the severity of the situation, the young woman is in her husband's arms as they cry into each other's shoulders. 

Overwhelmed with emotion, Neil silently excuses himself from the room, avoiding the concerned eyes of his resident.

Finding an empty hallway, he mentally scolds himself as he releases a rigid breath he didn’t realise he was holding. 

It’s rare that he lets a patient's diagnosis have such an immediate effect on him. He came to the conclusion early on in his career that there is no good way to tell a person they were going to die, but after many years of practice, he had adapted to suppressing his emotions. It is a dark thought, Neil had come to realise, that he had grown accustomed to the familiarity of death to a point where telling a patient about their terminal illness simply became just another case. 

Be kind, sympathetic, and don’t by any means, destroy their will to fight; it is words he lived by and the philosophy he had passed along to his residents. But it’s burdensome having to encourage someone to continue fighting when there is virtually no hope. 

“Dr. Melendez?” Neil’s head shoots up at the sound of Audrey’s voice. He watches as her expression turns from confusion to concern as their gazes meet and she recognises the sorrow lingering in the back of his eyes. “Neil,” her voice is soft as she approaches him. “What’s wrong?”

“I just had to tell a newlywed couple that they have approximately three months left together.” His shoulders collapse in defeat. “Two weeks. They have only been married for two weeks. They’re on their honeymoon.” His voice is rough and measured, the way it typically is when he is trying not to let his emotions get the best of him. 

There is nothing she can say to make him feel better and she knows this. Instead, she connects their hands, running her thumbs along the backside of his fingers in a comforting manner, as she stands with him in silence, giving him a secure space to process his thoughts and emotions.

“I just-” He disconnects their joint hands to rub his eyes with his palms. “It’s just not fair.” He sighs, leaning back against the wall. “And it’s just a reminder of how fortunate I am to have you in my life, even if things have been challenging lately.” He runs his hands down her arms to her hands where he reconnects their fingers.

She softens into his touch. They hadn’t talked about it, at least not in great detail, but they both are aware the other is finding the lack of affection difficult. 

“You’re right, things have been tough lately, but this is only temporary. We’ll get through this. And we will come out stronger because of it.”

She offers him a genuine smile which immediately fills Neil with warmth. For the first time in a while, he feels the air around them lighten. 

“Thank you.” Her comforting demeanour has a calming effect on him and suddenly, he feels ready to face his patient again. “I should get back in there to answer any questions they may have.” He sighs. “And then maybe I should try and get some sleep before my next surgery.”

“I have a budget meeting I have to get to, but you are welcome to use the couch in my office if you want a little more privacy.”

“It’s definitely more inviting than sleeping in the on-call room.” She hums in agreement. “We still on for dinner tonight?” He asks.

“Definitely. Once my session is over, I will change and then meet you in your office. Sound alright?”

“Sounds perfect.” 

oOo

By six-thirty, against all odds, she is standing in the doorway of his office dressed in a loose fitting black dress and a light jacket, appropriate for the springtime weather. Her presence pulls his attention away from his computer and he is at her side within seconds, paperwork forgotten. 

“You look beautiful.” She doesn’t have time to respond as he connects their lips in a feverous kiss, filled with all the longing that had been building over the past couple of weeks. 

She pulls back just enough to say, “we’re going to miss our reservation.” 

“We can be fifteen minute late.” He leans back in but she places her hands on his chest, stopping him halfway. 

“Your office is made completely out of glass walls and this hospital is full of nosey nurses.”

He can’t help but laugh at that. Not only is she right, but he is certain neither of them would feel comfortable with the stares that were bound to follow. Even though their relationship is not a secret, they prefer to keep their business as private as possible. 

“Fine.” He leads her out his office door and interlaces their fingers. “Our dinner awaits.” 

They are mere steps away from the hospital exit, hand in hand with the sense of excitement running high, when they hear their names being called. 

“Dr. Lim, Dr. Melendez.” They turn around to find an E.R. nurse, a phone pressed against her ear as she waves in their direction. “We have an incoming mass trauma. Multi-car pile up on the highway. We’re going to need all hands on deck.”

Just their luck. 

When their eyes meet, they’re wearing the same solemn expression. 

“We’ll be right there,” Audrey responds. Her eyes drop on Neil’s date night outfit of choice and sighs. “Just let us get changed.”

Typically, this is the event that gets Audrey’s adrenaline coursing through her veins, as exhilaration begins to take over and the goal of saving lives becomes the main priority, but right now, a large part of her wants to scream in frustration. 

“Rain check?” Neil attempts to lighten the mood. 

She simply nods.

oOo

They get home so late that evening, by the time Neil pulls into the driveway he only has four hours before he has to be back at the hospital. 

Those four hours feel like four minutes and when Audrey wakes the next morning, he is already gone.

Considering their circumstances, Audrey is proud of the way they had stayed level headed. Yet, over the past couple of days, she could sense that Neil was nearing his breaking point. He doesn’t show it on the outside. He was still as skilled as ever and continued to provide exceptional patient care, but it is the way the crease between his eyebrows had deepened and the way his voice seemed to lack its usual spark that worries her.

He is typically the rational one in their relationship. While she likes to push herself to the brink, he prefers to take a step back and recharge to tackle a problem with a fresh mindset. It’s why they balance each other out so well and what makes them such a great team, both at work and in their personal lives. But, through no fault of his own, he hadn’t gotten a chance to take care of himself. 

Knowing that their system had been compromised is an uneasy thought, and Audrey decides it's up to her to help alleviate some of their stress.

She has the day off. Or at least, as much of a day off as the Chief of Surgery can have. It’s not often she gets a whole day to lounge around the house and do nothing. Typically, she finds herself at the hospital one way or another, even if it is just to spend a few hours completing paperwork. 

That is exactly what she finds herself doing and she is thankful when she isn’t paged for an emergency surgery or anything of the like, and is able to leave at a reasonable hour for the first time in weeks. 

She knows Neil is on his way into surgery as she is on her way out, and therefore, takes the liberty as an opportunity to prepare something special. 

oOo

When Neil walks into his house late that evening, he is immediately welcomed by the pleasant smell of garlic. He kicks off his shoes and hangs his coat in the closet before walking into the kitchen in search of the source of the smell. He is surprised to find a casserole dish in the oven with the temperature set to warm. He is even more surprised to find two plate settings neatly arranged on the table, accompanied by an unopened bottle of wine and a decorative candle set in-between the plates, already half melted. 

Even though the room is set to a romantic glow, Audrey is nowhere in sight. 

After further investigation, he finds her laying on the couch in front of the hushed television, her legs curled and a hand underneath her head as she rests it against a throw pillow, fast asleep. 

He takes a moment to appreciate how content she looks. Her face is free of any discomfort as her mouth hangs open slightly and her breaths are even. He doesn't want to disturb her but he knows he won't hear the end of it if he continues to let her sleep, disrupting her ability to fall asleep later on.

Taking a seat on the coffee table in front of her, he puts a hand on her knee and gently shakes her awake. “Audrey.” She stirs slightly before opening her eyes, blinking rapidly as she is greeted by a smiling Neil. 

“Hey,” her voice is groggy as she sits up to stretch her arms above her head. “What time is it?”

“Almost nine.”

She checks her watch in disbelief. “Damn it. I didn’t mean to sleep that long. Are you just getting home?” Her eyebrows scrunch in worry. “Was there a complication with the surgery?”

He shakes his head. “Surgery went well. The patient just took a little longer than usual to wake up. But I’m home now and I see you made dinner.”

She tilts her head in amusement. “Right sorry,” he laughs. “I see you ordered dinner.”

“Garlic shrimp. Your favourite.”

Neil hums in approval. “That’s really romantic of you.”

She scoffs, but the amused smirk doesn’t leave her face. “Are you saying I’m not romantic enough for you?”

“Not at all.” He pulls her closer to him so their knees are touching and their noses are centimetres apart. Audrey can sense the sudden shift in mood. “I’m saying you typically show your love in different ways.” His lips are on hers before she can retort, but she simply closes her eyes and allows herself to get swept up in his embrace. 

After a moment, he retreats ever so slightly to add: “And I am totally okay with that.” She can feel the movement of his lips on hers as he speaks and she has to open her eyes for a second to relish the beauty of him. The huskiness in his voice is somehow stifled with tenderness and it sends a wave of emotion through her. She can’t quite describe what she is feeling, but it is nothing short of overwhelming. Instinctively, she reconnects their lips. 

Without breaking their kiss, Neil pushes her back so she is lengthwise on the couch, her head against the throw pillow as he hovers over her. She returns his fervent passion with plenty of her own as she allows herself to let go of all the tension she had been holding and simply enjoy their moment. 

Against her body’s desires, she withdrawals slightly which causes Neil to moan disapprovingly. 

“You’ve been up for days.” Her voice is airy as she tries to regain her composure. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to sleep. We’ve got all morning to ourselves.”

“I got three hours last night. Plus,” He trails light kisses down her neck to the spot on her collarbone that he knows involuntarily makes her arch into him. “I’m a little too distracted right now to fall asleep.” When he lifts his head so they are at eye level, Audrey notices the familiar glint of adoration vibrant in his dark eyes, which causes her breath to hitch. Suddenly, her lips are on his again, all worries forgotten.


End file.
